The cement industry will play a vital role in meeting the government’s aims to deliver economic growth across the country via new railways, homes and offices; support industrial sectors outside London and the southeast; and cut greenhouse gas emissions. However, cement manufacturing is responsible for 1.5 per cent of the UK’s total emissions. 

There are many avenues to decarbonising the cement industry, such as electrification, using new materials, reducing demand and carbon capture and storage (CCS), though no solution is perfect. CCS, for example, has the highest potential reductions, and is where the financial support is currently targeted, yet it is still in early stages of development and more likely to play a larger role in decarbonising cement closer to 2050. 

In this briefing, we detail the road to reducing emissions from the cement industry and how the government can pave the way through constructive policies in their upcoming industrial strategy and beyond. 

For more information, contact:
Amira Jamal, policy analyst